There will be no increase in gas taxes

“No increase in taxes on gas,” assures the government spokesperson, attacking in passing the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher who had mentioned this possibility.

“There will be no increase in gas taxes“, assured Sunday the government spokesperson Maud Bregeononce again correcting a statement by the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher, who had mentioned this possibility on Friday by way of amendment to the finance bill.

She reassured him this Thursday on Sud Radio against Jean-Jacques Bourdin.

A tax that had already doubled in 2023

This tax “doubled at the start of last year, it has already increased“, argued Maud Bregeonevoking on BFMTV a “arbitrage” of Prime Minister Michel Barnier on this issue.increase in this tax which took place on January 1, 2024 had recorded the exit of the gas price shield implemented during the energy crisis from the end of 2021, in order to avoid too strong increases in consumer bills.

Friday October 11, during a press conferencethe Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher had indicated that the government was studying by way of amendment the possibility of increasing the gas taxationa fossil energy that contributes to global warming. “The challenge is also to work on brown niches through the increase in the automobile penalty, through the elimination of the reduced VAT rate of 5.5% on the installation of fossil fuel boilers and finally, through government amendment, through an increase in taxation on plane tickets and gas“, she declared. Agnès Pannier-Runacher justified the hypotheses formulated by the need to “provide consistent price signals between carbon solutions and decarbonized solutions“. A way of differentiating uses of gas versus those of electricityessentially of low carbon origin in France due to its nuclear park.

Statements contradicted the next day

THE Minister’s statements had been contradicted the next day, Saturday October 12, therefore, by the Minister of Budget Laurent Saint-Martinwho said he wasn’t there “not favorable“, specifying that the finance bill presented this week did not contain “increase in gas taxes“.

Contacted byAFPthe entourage of Minister Delegate for IndustryMarc Ferracci, indicates for his part that “il [le ministre] is in the same position as Matignon“.

Agnès Pannier-Runacher “simply clarified what is in the government announcements, as presented in the press kit” of finance billunder the title “measures by amendment (airline tickets, fossil fuels)“, his office reacted on Saturday to theAFPreiterating Sunday with: “As the minister said on Friday, the parliamentary discussion will be an opportunity to go further to green our taxation, both with regard to aviation and fossil fuels. This is what is indicated in the PLF press kit“.

Quid electricity bill?

Maud Brégeon also recalled that the government was committed in its draft budget to “contain an increase“of the electricity billdespite a tax increase provided for in the text.

The government promised in its finance bill to guarantee a 9% reduction in the bill for subscribers to the regulated electricity rate (or under contract indexed to this rate), which represents 76% of households. According to the national energy mediatorother households in market offers would see their bill increase compared to today, but they are already currently benefiting from offers “much cheaper than the regulated rate” (lower by around 20%).

Source : batirama.com / AFP / Laure Pophillat